CA
Prop
3
Water Bond
Authorizes Bonds to Fund Water Supply Projects
Authorizes the state to issue $8.9 billion in general obligation bonds for water supply, environmental and infrastructure investments.
Authorizes the state to issue $8.9 billion in general obligation bonds for water supply, environmental and infrastructure investments.
California Proposition 3 would authorize the state to issue $8.87 billion in general obligation bonds for water supply, conservation, infrastructure and environmental improvement projects all over the state. More specifically, it would fund safe drinking water, the implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, watershed and wetland restoration, habitat conservation, urban and agricultural water conservation and stormwater management.
Prop. 3 would dedicate funding to numerous state agencies, including the California Natural Resources Agency, the Coastal Conservancy, the Department of Water Resources and the University of California. The state resources agency would be responsible for regular public reporting and independent audits.
Prop. 3 is intended to complement other state water and parks bond funds that have passed recently, including Prop. 68, which passed in June of this year, and Prop. 1, which passed in 2014. It would fund many elements of Governor Brown’s 2013 Water Action Plan, which aims to increase the resiliency of California’s water system and strengthen the ability of California communities to cope with drought conditions.
This measure was put on the ballot by a signature campaign. It was written and sponsored by the director of the Natural Heritage Institute’s California Water Program (who was formerly the deputy secretary of the resources agency). Prop. 3’s proponents had originally tried to get some of its biggest-ticket items — including safe drinking water, dam safety and fixing ground subsidence in the Central Valley — included in Prop. 68. But the legislature’s negotiations around Prop. 68 resulted in a smaller bond dedicated partially to water infrastructure and partially to parks. Proponents then collected signatures to place this larger bond on the ballot.
As a state general obligation bond, this measure needs a simple majority (50 percent plus one vote) to pass.
Bonds are one of the main ways the state can invest in water infrastructure, and our recent drought has shown the need for significant investment. Although we just passed Prop. 68 earlier this year, these two measures are complementary and fund different aspects of the state’s water needs. Prop. 3 would directly benefit the Bay Area through funding for water recycling, conservation and San Francisco Bay restoration — which is critically important to do now before sea levels rise or our next long-term drought settles in.